


Circling the Edge

by Finksalion



Series: Malice's Reprieve [1]
Category: Collar x Malice (Visual Novel)
Genre: A slight hint of attempted assault, Angst and Feels, F/M, Kissing, Oral Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, light Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:08:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29705916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finksalion/pseuds/Finksalion
Summary: An alternative ending (or a continuance of an ending) for Collar x Malice; in my humble opinion this is one of the best Otome games I've played to date, and so here I am, writing what I want to read in this world :PThis is set after the Tragic Ending for Aiji Yanagi’s route, major spoilers for Aiji Yanagi’s route ahead so do take care if you are bothered by such things.Title taken and work inspired by the song 'The Edge' by Grant, feat. Nevve.
Relationships: Hoshino Ichika/Yanagi Aiji
Series: Malice's Reprieve [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2183109
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	Circling the Edge

It wasn’t fair, not after all they had been through, Aiji Yanagi thought bitterly as he leant against a wall in the Kabuki-cho district of Shinjuku, lighting another cigarette and breathing in the smoke, allowing it to roll around his mouth after he had drawn it deep into his lungs for a couple of seconds. As always happened when he was alone with his thoughts, they soon turned to Ichika Hoshino and the events of Adonis’s reign of terror on Shinjuku, just over a year ago now.

Hoshino had tried so hard to live by her form of justice, even as Adonis had tested her again and again, making her life a living nightmare. She had stood firm against everything they threw at her, only for Saeki to ruin it all by threatening Yanagi in the church, even going so far as to shoot him twice in the stomach, spurring Hoshino to shoot and kill Saeki, just as Saeki had wanted.

Yanagi had tried so hard to get her to listen after it had happened, but she just sat there, stunned at taking a life. Even with the backing of the police force, her friends, her brother and him, her budding and new-found lover… it still hadn’t been enough. The day after the police had cleared her of any wrongdoing, she had left his life. He had heard from Morioka too late; she had turned in her badge and gun and had just disappeared into thin air before he made it to the police station to try and catch her, to convince her not to go.

Breathing out a thin trail of smoke as he once more ran through every possible thing that he could have said or done differently to make her stay, as he had done for the year since they had been apart, he shook his head and smiled sadly at the cigarette in his hands. She would certainly be telling him that he was smoking too much these days but he couldn’t bring himself to quit, not without her strength to help him. She had always been the strong one out of the two of them, despite appearances to the contrary.

At least the Detective Agency was still doing well; Yanagi hadn’t wanted to go back to the police as the others had done, and business hadn’t been too bad. Since the reform of the police following the X-Day events, they had plenty of cases to pass to him as they tried to catch up and regain the trust of the Shinjuku residents, and it paid the bills well. The others even pitched in when they could, and of course, it gave him the perfect opportunity to continue his search for her. Not that he needed one, he would have continued to try and find her even if he had gone back to the police, but this way was better.

Taking a last drag and then putting out his cigarette, he sighed once more at the lack of leads he had found. It really was as if she had just disappeared into thin air, like trying to catch smoke in his hands, and even the help of the others hadn’t been enough to find her.

“Are you even in Tokyo anymore, Ichika?” He whispered to himself, and then shook his head and reminded himself of his mission on this cold winter night. Looking around the Kabuki-cho district, it was starting to settle down a little for the night, most people having either left to go home or found other entertainments instead of wandering these cold streets. He took out his phone and made a call to his friend.

“Sasazuka, any sightings tonight?” He asked, only for his blue-haired friend to confirm that nothing had been noted yet in his usual sullen style. Cursing under his breath, the small exhalation turning to fog and wafting away in the slight breeze, he said goodbye and put his phone away.

The case that had pulled him to the red light district was a strange one. Recently there had been a spate of attacks occurring here and while that was unfortunately nothing new in this particular district, what was strange was that each of these attacks had been foiled, and the perpetrators caught and tied up, neatly packaged and left for the police to find and charge them after an anonymous phone call.

Each time, the perpetrator had confessed to their crime almost immediately, and each time they had mentioned their attacker to be a small brown-haired girl with determined hazel eyes. Surely this had just been chance, and it wasn’t _her_ delivering her form of justice? He had tried to clear his head from jumping to such conclusions, and he ruefully remembered the look that Morioka had given him when he had passed him the case.

“Don’t assume anything from it, Yanagi.” Morioka had warned him, almost as if he had noticed how Yanagi’s heart had started to beat faster at the description of their vigilante. Yanagi had nodded in response, but couldn’t shake the sensation, and bringing himself back out of the past, he cursed once more, rubbing the back of his head.

“Stupid.” He muttered at himself, then his head snapped up as he heard a slight scream coming from an alley a few blocks down. It could be nothing, but he wasn’t going to miss the chance, just in case, and he was running before he had even finished the thought.

Careening around the corner of the alleyway, he almost bumped into the young woman who was quickly scuttling out of the alley, clutching to her ripped top, but managed to dodge out of her way. Peering into the alleyway, almost scared of what he would see, he took a deep breath, and then another as he felt that he wasn’t getting enough oxygen at the sight in front of him.

It was her. It _was_ her. A little older, a little more sure of herself maybe, a little worldlier even, but it was definitely her, his heart couldn’t lie to him. Dressed in a short skirt, ankle boots and a cropped hoodie with heavy makeup on, she had pinned the man to the floor, her foot keeping his body still as she twisted his arm up in a hard lock as he strained and whined in pain beneath her. How had she learnt that move? Oh right, Okazaki had been teaching her some hand to hand before she had left, and she had obviously kept up with her training. Swiftly, as if she had done it a dozen times – she probably had if the cases were to be believed – she grabbed his other hand and tied them together with a cable tie before doing the same with his feet and then stuffing his mouth with a rag to keep him quiet.

“The police will come for you soon. When they do, you’ll tell them exactly what you did, and then you will be served justice, as you should be. Take this as an opportunity to change your life and be a better person.” She said, grabbing the man’s face and looking into his terrified eyes. He nodded vigorously, and she let his face go. She started to walk through the alleyway, but Yanagi couldn’t just let her go, he wasn’t going to let her slip through his fingers for a second time.

“Ichika!” He shouted, and she tensed once, starting to look back but she stopping herself and instead starting to run down the alleyway at full speed. Cursing once more and giving the tied up perpetrator a cursory glance as he passed him, he ran after her, determined to catch her.

She continued weaving through the close alleyways and streets of the district, and he chased after her, his longer legs allowing him to gain some distance between them. They continued this game of cat and mouse for a further five minutes or so, before she turned down a one way alley, stopping at the chain link fence in front of her, grasping at the wire for a second before she turned reluctantly, looking down through the bangs of her long loose hair, a bitter smile on her lips.

“Ichika…” He said, softly, catching his breath as he watched her warily, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, hold her close once more. He’d wanted to find her for a year now, ever since she left, but now that she was in front of him, he found himself at a loss for words. They stood like that for a minute or two, both catching their breath and assessing each other, the differences that twelve months had wrought on the two of them.

“I was cleared by the police. Have they changed their mind? Or is it because of my current activities that I’ve caught their attention?” She asked finally, still avoiding his eyes as she stood there with her arms wrapped around her torso as if to shield herself from harm.

“No, I’m not… I didn’t re-join the police, although they have got me looking into the case of the Kabuki-cho Avenger.” He answered slowly, still finding it difficult to form words with her really in front of him again.

“Kabuki-cho Avenger? That’s certainly a name. Did Enomoto come up with it?” She asked, a slight chuckle in her voice but not enough to hide her obvious nervousness.

“He may have had a part in it, yes. He’s back in the force, Sasazuka too.” He replied calmly, even as his heart ached at the distance between them, at the strain of keeping up this forced politeness.

“Ichika, I…” He started, taking a step forward as he reached one of his hands for her but he stopped as she shook her head violently, taking a step back. The fence behind her shook and rattled as she backed into it, and he sighed and dropped his hand.

“I’ve been looking for you for so long.” He said softly, unable to stop the sorrow from seeping into his voice, the pain and hurt evident on his face.

“Ai– Yanagi, please don’t. I wanted to save you, I wanted to stop your pain, your sorrow so much. Please, just let me be, I can’t stand it.” She whispered, so low that he had to strain to hear it, and it made his heart ache all the more.

“But why, then? Why did you run away from me?” He asked yearningly and this time she didn’t flinch as he stepped closer to her, almost close enough to touch her. She shook her head again, but this time less vehemently and she finally looked up at him, her beautiful wide hazel eyes once more capturing his heart and causing his breath to hitch in his throat.

“You saw what I did in the church, you saw what I did to Saeki… I can’t be with you after that, I’m not worthy of you, you should go.” She replied sadly, tears finally falling from her eyes as she clenched her fists in her attempts to control her emotions. Just seeing her cry was enough to make him feel like his heart was being crushed, and he clenched his jaw in frustration and anger at the stupidity of it all. Before he could even think or stop himself, he grabbed her arms and pushed her up against a nearby wall, drawing a gasp from her throat at the shock of the admittedly gentle impact as he glared at her, her hazel eyes wide with surprise.

“Are you fucking kidding me? After all we’ve been through, after all that has happened between us, and you tell me _you’re_ not worthy of _me?"_ He shouted in her face, unable to stop the spill of his emotions from threatening to overtake him.

“I…” She started, but he refused to let her speak as he continued to talk over her.

“No, no you don’t get to make that judgement! I’ve been trying to find you for a year now, ever since… I’ve had Sasazuka searching all over the web for you, and Okazaki and Enomoto have been trawling the streets every evening they get!” His usually deep voice was strained as the stress and pain of the past year finally caught up, and tears were now forming at the corners of his eyes as he gripped her arms tighter.

“But…” She tried again, but once again he barrelled over her, unable to stop now he had started, wanting – no _needing_ – to tell her everything.

“I’ve barely been able to sleep for worry, worry about what you’re doing, how you’re coping, where I went wrong, why you couldn’t trust me in the end. You think you’re not worthy but if you truly think that then I can’t be worthy either. Can’t you see? You did _exactly the same thing as I did when we were kids_ , **_we’re exactly the same_**!”

“Aiji…”

“So you made a mistake in the heat of the moment, but we all make mistakes! That was what we were fighting against Adonis for, wasn’t it? The ability to allow anyone, even criminals and murderers like us, to have a second chance, to fight for a better future, for _a true justice_!”

“ ** _AIJI_**!” She finally shouted, and he paused, shocked, as she glared at him in anger before her large hazel eyes softened once more and tears started to fall down her cheeks again and suddenly she was clutching at his shirt, pulling him closer, almost as if she was afraid to let go of him ever again. His hands pulled her tighter to him as she sobbed into his chest, and he reached up to hold her head against him, running his fingers through her hair almost reverently.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I was so worried about you back in the church, and I couldn’t think clearly, and **_he shot you_** and I didn’t want to lose you, but then as soon as I shot… killed him… I could feel… I felt that I had lost you anyway, that I had no right anymore…” She started rambling between choking sobs, and his heart broke all over again. It was too much, he wanted to listen to her pain and he would, in time. He wanted to be there for her always, but now, he didn’t want to hear this; he didn’t _need_ to hear this. He just wanted to let her know that he loved her, that everything would be okay as long as she just let him be by her side.

So he did what he naturally felt was right, and he reached down and pressed his lips against hers, stopping her confession as he channelled all thoughts of his love and compassion into this kiss, gentle and warm against her own soft lips. His fingers caressed her cheek as he felt her give in to the kiss, pressed against the wall with his warm body flush against hers.

“You never lost me, you never can, wherever you go, whatever you do, I’m going to find you and be by your side. I love you, Ichika.” He whispered to her as he pulled away, and she sighed and closed her eyes for a second before she looked up at him, her eyes once again clear and filled with love. It was so much, this emotion, finally having found her again and he smiled down at her warmly, stroking her cheek again.

“Aiji… I love you too, I always have.” She whispered back, and at that moment he felt like his heart would burst with the emotion running through it. They kissed again, this time harder, more insistent, their mouths opening and tongues entwining as he felt her small hands quest down his chest, along his sides, around his back as she pulled him closer and moaned into his kiss. He shuddered as she continued stroking his body, his muscles taut and strained under her touch, unable to quite believe this was real, that he had finally found her again after so long.

“Ichika, I…” He started, but she stopped him with one finger on his lips.

“Just shut up and kiss me again.” She insisted instead, and he did, feeling his passion rise as they continued to kiss desperately, bruising kisses and tongues entwining, touches and strokes of their hands longing to be closer, ever closer. Their passion grew as they pulled apart only to breathe before diving back in, but Yanagi once again pulled away from her, panting, and looking at her with desire shining in his eyes, but with some trepidation.

“Ichika, we need to stop.” He breathed heavily, still reluctant to pull away, one hand still buried in her long hair as his other held her hip close to his, gripping her hard as if she would just disappear again if he were to let her go.

“Why?” She asked, her eyes wide but with a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes, even as her hands continued to stroke across his chest, one hand reaching back to untuck his shirt and run lightly across the upper curve of his ass just under the waistband of his trousers. He groaned as he felt that touch, so intimate, so much more than he would ever have expected, and enough to have him wanting more from their first meeting in over a year.

“Because I can’t hold myself back, I’ve waited for so long to find you, to show you how much I love you, I don’t want to ruin it.” He replied through gritted teeth, regretfully starting to pull back from her, even as his body yearned to have her pressed against him again.

Hoshino looked at him firmly, and her determination once again shocked him, as it always had. He gasped in surprise as she rolled her body against his, her hips meeting his and grinding down on his hardening cock. He groaned low even as his grip on her hip tightened and when he looked at her again, he couldn’t help the lust from showing on his face.

“So don’t hold back. I want you Aiji, I’m not the same innocent girl you knew, but if you’ll still have me, I want you all the same.” Hoshino said softly, once again rolling her body against his in that most delectable fashion, and he groaned again.

“Always.” He answered immediately and then his hands were on her waist and lifting her up as her legs entwined around his waist, grinding himself up into her as he pulled her closer.

“I’ve thought so much of this moment, of feeling you against me like this.” He said as he trailed kisses down her jaw, nuzzling against her neck and delighting in her moans and gasps of pleasure as he reached up to pull her top to one side so he could get to her shoulder and pepper it with small kisses, licking up her collarbone.

“Oh yeah? You’ve wanted me like this? Pushed against a wall down a dark alley, grinding down on your hard cock as I gasp in pleasure? I finally got your delinquent side to show, it seems.” Hoshino gasped, and he stopped what he was doing as he looked at her open-mouthed, his breath hitching at words he would never have expected to fall from her sweet mouth.

“Fuck, Ichika…” He breathed, shocked, and he felt his cock throb against her as she smirked in delight at his surprise.

“You like it when I speak dirty, Aiji?” She moaned, as he moved back to her neck and jaw, delighting in the feel of her soft skin against his lips again.

“Too much.” He breathed into her ear as his hips bucked into her involuntarily, and he could feel her shivering under him as his warm breath tickled her auditory canal, and the feel of her against him caused him to harden even further, pulling a groan from him as she rubbed against him.

“Take me, Aiji, please, I need to feel you inside me, right now.” She moaned and he paused, considering her words. He wanted her so badly, and while it wasn’t the first time he had fucked outside, in the streets – he had been a bit of a wild child after all – he was still hesitant. This was his true love, after all, not some random woman he had picked up in a bar.

“Here?” He asked, his voice crackling slightly, his concern evident in the tone of his voice.

“Here, now, I don’t care who sees us, I need you.” Hoshino insisted, untucking more of his shirt and running her fingernails across his chest and round to his back, kissing him open-mouthed once more, slipping her tongue in to dance with his own and eroding his crumbling resistance one kiss at a time.

Pulling back, he paused once more, searching her eyes for even a hint of doubt. However, her eyes were warm and clear and above all, filled with desire and lust and he felt a wicked grin – one that he thought that he had lost long ago – start to form on his face. He looked around briefly to make sure they were alone before he let her feet land back on the ground and he dropped to his knees before her, hands reaching up to travel up her thighs and under her skirt, pulling it up to bunch around her hips as he heard her gasp and moan above him at his soft touches.

He leant closer to her core, grinning with delight at the wet patch showing on her panties, and he nuzzled his nose against her, feeling as well as hearing her gasp as he took in her delightful scent. Gently pulling her panties aside as she shivered under his touch, he couldn’t help but dive in between her legs, his tongue licking against her slit as she moaned and wrapped her hands in his hair, her thighs shaking as he continued to lick her, occasionally thrusting his tongue deep within her and delighting in her taste.

“Oh… fuck Aiji, that’s so good.” She moaned above him, and he grinned at that, glad that he hadn’t fully lost his touch at least.

“Oh you like this? How about this then?” He growled as he took his away mouth from her aching wetness, but before she could protest he thrust two fingers into her sodden core, crooking them expertly until he found that spot that made her tremble in pleasure, and she gasped aloud, not even caring who might hear. Smiling widely at the pleasure he was able to extract from her, his mouth then returned to her clit and she gasped even louder as he started to gently suck at her nub, his tongue circling it gently and every now and then lapping at it, causing her to jump and clench tightly around his fingers.

His fingers continued dancing within her, pulling her ecstasy to the fore and feeling her thighs clench and shudder against him. Suddenly, before he knew it, she was coming around his fingers, throbbing and shuddering as she gasped, gripping his hair in her hands as she fell over the edge of her pleasure. He chuckled against her, removing his fingers and lapping at her slit gently, cleaning her slick up as much as he could, enjoying her taste fully before he stood up and kissed her softly as she leant against the wall, recovering from his expert ministrations.

He kissed her tenderly, unable to help the absolute joy that shone from his face at giving her such pleasure. However, that joy turned to absolute shock as she looked at him with a mischievous smile on her face before taking the two fingers that had been in her not seconds ago and bringing them to her lips, licking her slick off them with a moan as he watched, open-mouthed once more.

“Fucking hell, Ichika, I never could have believed…”

“Believed what?” She asked, smirking as she continued to lap and suck at his fingers as he gasped in desire, his eyes now blown wide as he tried to keep his breathing even. She circled the tips of his now clean fingers with her tongue and then swallowed them back into her mouth, sucking them deep as he growled and thrust his hips into hers almost involuntarily, pinning her back against the wall with more force that he meant, still unable to tear his eyes away from the erotic sight she had given to him. He gulped once, and then he pulled his fingers away and kissed her deeply once more, his tongue dancing with hers briefly before he pulled away.

“That you would be so… that I could be so open with you… God I want you so much…” He stammered, his heart hammering in his chest.

“Then take me, Aiji. Take me hard and fast, just like you want.” She breathed, and with that the last echoes of his restraint snapped and he was unable to hold back a deep growl of desire. She smiled wider at hearing that, and he unbuckled his trousers and pulled his cock out, hard and aching and desperate to feel her around him. He watched her stare at his cock, desire evident in her gaze, and the way she licked her lips involuntarily made him groan once more. He gently lifted her chin so that she was looking into his eyes, his eyes hot and burning for her.

“Later maybe, for now I want to feel your warmth surrounding me, I want to feel you come on my cock, to feel you trembling around me. Is that what you want too?” He asked, his voice shaking slightly at the strain of holding back, and he only felt his desire increase as she caught her lip between her teeth, reaching out and stroking his cock gently.

“Yes, oh god yes, please.” She moaned, her grip tightening briefly around him and he groaned once more.

“Okay then. Tell me if it gets too much for you at any point. I never want to hurt you.” He breathed, stroking her cheek as she continued to run her hand up and down his aching length with long, teasing strokes.

“What about if I want you to?” She asked, smirking, and he grinned at that, crookedly.

“Oh, you’re a naughty girl.” He smirked, and then he lifted her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist once more. He pulled her soaked panties aside and slowly started to push into her, groaning as he felt her so tight and warm and slick around her. He felt her feet drumming an insistent rhythm against his back as he continued to inexorably thrust his hard cock in her, and her moans of pleasure only served to heighten his own.

They both gasped as he finally hilted fully into her, their hips flush together. He reached forward and kissed her hard, and her teeth caught on his lower lip as she bit down lightly, causing him to groan into her mouth. He slipped one of his hands up under her top, lifting up her bra and feeling her nipple harden under his fingertips. As they finally parted from that kiss, she gasped as he pinched her nipple between thumb and forefinger, and he hissed as he felt her buck on him in response, his lips once more going to her neck.

“I wanted to kiss your neck so much, back when… such soft skin, I couldn’t bear seeing it marred by that collar…” He murmured, his lips brushing against her pulse, and she moaned once more as he began to thrust in and out of her, slowly at first as they savoured the motion, the feeling of him inside her, finally; all he ever wanted. He continued to play with her nipple as he covered her neck and shoulder with kisses, enough to leave her panting, delicious moans and whines tumbling from her lips with every thrust, only serving to drive his desires even higher.

“Fuck, Ichika, you’re so tight.” He groaned as she tensed around him at a particularly deep thrust, hitting that spot that made her legs tremble around him. Angling himself to hit that spot once more, he caught her eyes – glowing with desire – and thrust again, unable to restrain the growl that ripped from his throat as her eyes rolled back and she moaned so deliciously, it made him even harder inside her.

Before long, he was thrusting into her with such force that their hips slammed back into the wall and their groans and wails filled the alleyway, not even caring at the commotion they were making. He could tell she was close, if he was being honest with himself, he was close too, but he was determined to ensure that she finished first – he could at least be that much of a gentlemen, he thought bitterly as he continued to fuck her against the wall of this dirty alleyway. As if she could sense his thoughts somehow, she pulled his jaw to hers and caught his lips in a bruising kiss, bringing him back to the moment.

“Fuck me harder, Aiji, make me come on your cock, I love this, love you.” She moaned as they separated again, both panting hard. Once again he felt himself throb at her words, spurring him on, and he reached down between them to circle her clit lightly as he started to fuck her even harder, snapping his hips against hers again and again.

“Ohhh fuck, yeah like that I’m going to come!” She gasped, and he watched her come undone against him with glowing eyes, throbbing and clenching around him so deliciously as she wailed her pleasure, her muscles twitching and her eyes rolling back in her head. It was too much for him to take, after so long of waiting for this feeling, imagining what it would be like, and he started to thrust erratically as he felt his own pleasure take over within her quivering core.

“Fuck, Ichika, I’m going to come too!” He grunted, and her arms tightened around him, holding him closer.

“Yes, come in me, please, I want to feel you.” She encouraged him, and that was enough to have him pump into her once, twice, as he felt ropes of his come spurt into her tight wetness, bathing them in its warmth as he felt his legs trembling under her at the force of his ejaculation.

“I love you so much, Ichika.” He whispered into her ear as he finally relaxed against her, fully spent, exhausted, and stroking her cheek as he held her close.

“I love you too, Aiji.” She murmured back, and their lips found each other once again as they basked in their afterglow.

Eventually, slowly letting her down and pulling out a handkerchief, he gently wiped her slit and thighs of their spend, watching with a smile as she shuddered slightly with the overstimulation, before he also wiped himself down and tucked his softening cock back into his trousers. Ichika also rearranged the rest of her clothing, and then they stared at each other, not sure of what to say to each other now their passions had been sated for the moment.

“Come back with me, Ichika. The others would love to see you again, and I know Kazuki would be happy to know you’re safe.” Yanagi pleaded softly, and Hoshino flinched slightly at the mention of her brother’s name.

“How… how is he?” She asked softly as he leant against the wall next to her, one arm pulling her close to his side as the other reached into his jacket to pull out a cigarette.

“He’s fine, he moved in with Yoshinari a couple of months ago, after your parents allowed him to continue his music career.”

“That’s good. I’m really happy for him.” She sighed and surprisingly, she grabbed a cigarette out the packet before he put it away, and he lit her cigarette with no comment, watching her inhale smoothly before he lit his own cigarette.

“I missed the smell.” She said, chuckling lightly as she took a pull on the cigarette and glanced at him, a small smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

“Oh.” He replied, unsure of how he felt, and suddenly understanding her concern for his health the whole time before, whenever she had mentioned it. They leant against the wall, her back against his chest, one of his arms snaking around her and pulling her close to him as they continued smoking their cigarettes.

“Aiji? I’m glad you found me.” She finally said, and he smiled softly, nuzzling against her hair as he felt his chest tighten at her words.

“I’m glad I found you too.” He replied, and he really was, the stress of the last year dropping from him, ecstatic laughter threatening to burst forth from his chest at his happiness at having her once again in his arms.

“And I’m glad you both found each other.” Okazaki said from the corner of the alley, glancing in with his jacket swung across his shoulder as usual, causing them both to jump at the shock of seeing him even as he smiled at them with that blindingly oblivious smile of his.

“Okazaki…” Yanagi started warningly, feeling anger and embarrassment starting to well within him, but Hoshino just laughed warmly, a smile of pure delight on her lips. It was enough to allow him to let Okazaki go with just a dark look of warning – one which was ignored as easily as every other warning he had ever provided to the SP officer.

“Nice to see you too, Okazaki.” Hoshino sighed, finally seeming to admit where she belonged in life, and that admission alone was enough to allow the laughter to finally burst forth from Yanagi, squeezing her tight as he realised that he finally had her back, truly and fully.

“Welcome back, Ichika.” Okazaki said with an understanding smile, and then walked off with an off key whistle as Hoshino and Yanagi looked into each other’s eyes, finally finding their place in this world, together once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading this, do feel free to pop a comment down below if you liked this, I always enjoy hearing what people think of my writing!
> 
> Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3


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